Many people consider pushups to be the perfect exercise -- you don't need any equipment to do them, they target multiple muscles at the same time and they have a bone-building and muscle-strengthening effect. Even though you mainly use your shoulders, chest and triceps when doing pushups, you have to stabilize your body during the exercise, which means you must also engage your core, glutes, back, legs and hips. During pushups, all your weight rests on your wrists. This tension can sometimes result in pain, because wrists aren't meant to support weight. To avoid straining your wrists, make slight modifications to pushups. If you have a health condition, consult your doctor before engaging in a new exercise routine.

Knuckle Pushups

Rather than doing standard pushups with your palms flat on the floor, make fists and place your knuckles on the floor in a vertical position. Knuckle pushups take the tension off your wrists and don't require you to bend them. You still get the same exercise benefits as standard pushups. Avoid doing knuckle pushups on a hard floor -- place a mat on the floor, or perform the pushups on a plush carpet or towel.

Cupped-Hands Pushups

When doing standard pushups, cup your hands to take the pressure off your wrists. Instead of keeping your palms flat on the floor, slightly cup them as if there's a marble underneath them. This bends your fingers so the main pressure is on your fingertips, not your wrists. Stretch out your fingertips on the floor so you can balance and evenly distribute your weight. As with standard pushups, bring the body up and down as a whole. Keep your body straight and your abdominals contracted, and don't lower your hips to the floor or arch your back.

Modified Pushups

Modified pushups put less pressure on your wrists, because there's less weight resting on them. Modify the standard pushup by doing them on your knees instead of with stretched out legs. For an even easier, less-strenuous alternative, perform pushups against a wall. Stand about two feet from a wall. Place your hands at shoulder height on the wall and bend your elbows to bring your chin toward the wall. Push off on the wall in a smooth motion, while keep your body straight and abs engaged. As you get stronger, move further away from the wall to make the exercise more challenging.

Pushup Gadgets

Commercial pushup gadgets often have a handle for you to hold onto while doing pushups. Some are stationary while other rotate and allow you to move your arms for a greater range of motion. Because these exercise are challenging, master standard pushups beforehand to avoid injuries. As an alternative to pushup gadgets, place dumbbells on the floor and hold onto them while doing pushups.